Africa (Voodoo master) - Rose Laurens

Rose Laurens was born as Rose Podwojny on March 4, 1953. She started her musical career with a role in the French version of the musical 'Les Miserables'. In 1982 she released her debut album 'Déraisonnable', which also featured her most famous hit, 'Africa (Voodoo master)'.

The single reached the top 10 in various European countries and number 1 in Austria, although it did not chart in the Netherlands and the UK. A remix of 'Africa' was released in Germany in 1994, to minimal success.

My collection: 7" single no. 1827
Found: Record palace, Amsterdam, January 13, 1993
Cost: 2 guilders
Tracks: 'Africa (Voodoo master)' / 'Broken heart'

Let it be - Beatles

Paul McCartney said he had the idea of 'Let it be' after a dream he had about his mother during the tense period surrounding the sessions for the 'White Album'. McCartney later commented: 'It was great to visit with her again. I felt very blessed to have that dream. So that got me writing 'Let It Be'.'

The single 'Let it be' showed exactly how the Beatles had progressed since their early days. They had become experienced musicians, who were able to write a classic song like 'Let it be', and at the same time they produced throwaway tracks like 'You know my name', which basically is a piece of improvisations. The single reached number 2 in the UK singles chart and number 1 in the USA and the Netherlands.

My collection: 7" single no. 454
Found: Den Haag, 1985
Cost: 2 guilders
Tracks: 'Let it be' / 'You know my name'

Talk of the town - Pretenders

The Pretenders followed up their first big success 'Brass in pocket' with the first single from their second album 'Pretenders II', entitled 'Talk of the town'. The band sounded a bit more cohesive and sophisticated than on their debut album, and frontwoman Chrissie Hynde's vocals had also grown.

The single was rewarded with a number 8 placing in the UK singles chart and a peak position of number 31 in the Dutch Top 40.

My collection: 7" single no. 3198
Found: September 30, 2000
Cost: 1 guilder
Tracks: 'Talk of the town' / 'Cuban slide'

The more you live the more you love - A flock of seagulls

For their synth-heavy music, their strange lyrics, but mostly for their weird hairdos, A Flock of Seagulls have always been identified with the naff side of the decade of the Eighties. I remember seeing the music video for 'The more you live, the more you love' on a daily basis in 1984, and in the end getting quite sick of it. I knew every frame of the video, every note in the song. Of course, later on I wanted to have the single, but I had to search for it for a couple of years.

The single was the first out of three singles taken from the band's third album 'The story of a young heart'. It reached number 17 in the Dutch Top 40, number 26 in the UK singles chart and number 56 in the US Billboard Hot 100 chart.

My collection: 7" single no. 2023
Found: London, October 17, 1993
Cost: 1 pound
Tracks: 'The more you live the more you love' / 'Lost control'

Time to make you mine - Lisa Stansfield

As much as I like the song 'Time to make you mine' by Lisa Stansfield, even I have to admit that the music video was the real headturner here. With all the animation and Stansfield appearing to be naked in a field of flowers, some people definitely were in awe of this video.

The song, meanwhile, was the third single to be lifted from her second album 'Real love' in 1992. The single reached number 14 in the UK singles chart.

My collection: 7" single no. 1647
Found: Melody Maker, Den Haag, 1992
Cost: 6 guilders
Tracks: 'Time to make you mine' / 'All around the world' (with Barry White)

Angelina - Matia Bazar

'Angelina' was the second single taken from Matia Bazar's 1986 album 'Melanchólia'. Although the Italian band had just had an international hit with 'Ti sento', this single did not manage to break the charts the way its predecessor had done.

It has to be said that this song is a lot less catchy. I didn't know the track when I bought the single - and I quickly found out that I wouldn't play it very often. Still, it is a nice track.

My collection: 7" single no. 2957
Found: Record fair, February 7, 1998
Cost: 2 guilders
Tracks: 'Angelina' / 'Fiumi di parole'

You made me the thief of your heart - Sinéad O'Connor

The movie 'In the name of the father' was directed by Jim Sheridan and was based on the true life story of the Guildford Four, four people falsely convicted of the IRA's Guildford pub bombing, which killed four British soldiers and a civilian.

The soundtrack of the movie, which was an Irish production, featured a host of Irish musicians, most notably Sinéad O'Connor, who perfomed 'You made me the thief of your heart', the first single release from the soundtrack. The song was written by Maurice Seezer, Gavin Friday and Bono from U2. The single reached number 42 in the UK singles chart.

My collection: 7" single no. 2072
Found: Record fair, February 19, 1994
Cost: 8 guilders
Tracks: 'You made me the thief of your heart' / 'The father and his wife the spirit'